WEBVTT - Madigan vs Clay

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<v Speaker 1>Nineteen boxers competed in the nineteen sixty Olympic Games, and

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<v Speaker 1>after three rounds of wins, Australian Tony Madigan reached the

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<v Speaker 1>semi finals looking for a place in the gold medal bout.

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<v Speaker 1>His opponent was only a teenager, a promising but little

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<v Speaker 1>known amateur boxing in his first ever Olympics. His name

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<v Speaker 1>Cassius clay Hey. Welcome to the pool room where we

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<v Speaker 1>celebrate the winners, losers and the weird stuff between. I'm

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<v Speaker 1>Tony Armstrong Anthony Morgan. Madigan loved to throw a punch.

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<v Speaker 1>His boxing career began as an eight year old before

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<v Speaker 1>it fully bloomed. He played first class rugby in Sydney,

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<v Speaker 1>London and New York, but boxing was his real love.

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<v Speaker 1>He started as a middleweight at the Helsinki Games in

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<v Speaker 1>nineteen fifty two. When he arrived in Finland, Tony only

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<v Speaker 1>had fifteen fights to his name. He'd had to raise

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<v Speaker 1>the seven hundred and fifty pounds himself to get to

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<v Speaker 1>the Olympics, borrowing from friends and fans who believed in

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<v Speaker 1>his talent. That year, he finished fifth, but he wasn't deterred.

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<v Speaker 1>He would fight again. Then West Germany nineteen fifty five,

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<v Speaker 1>and Tony was making a living in Europe selling encyclopedias.

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<v Speaker 1>On icy winter roads. Headed to the ski fields, he

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<v Speaker 1>swerved to avoid a t and lost control of his car.

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<v Speaker 1>His passenger was killed in the accident, and Madigan suffered

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<v Speaker 1>serious injuries that could have been career ending, but Tony's

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<v Speaker 1>tenacity prevailed. He fought again in Melbourne in nineteen fifty six.

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<v Speaker 1>Once again he finished fifth. Lucky for him, neither the

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<v Speaker 1>accident nor the boxing did any lasting damage, especially to

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<v Speaker 1>his face. He had a strong jaw and cheekbones for days,

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<v Speaker 1>and in the fifties he moved to London to unleash

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<v Speaker 1>he's best blue steel. Those good looks took him from

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<v Speaker 1>Europe to New York, appearing in magazine ads and TV

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<v Speaker 1>spots advertising beer, men's products and other stuff were not

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<v Speaker 1>allowed to advertise anymore. Actually, his modeling career almost cost

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<v Speaker 1>him his Olympic medal. When he came home to Usustralia

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<v Speaker 1>for selection trials, the selectors had already picked another bloke,

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<v Speaker 1>assuming Tony had made a permanent shift overseas to be

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<v Speaker 1>professionally handsome. But he rocked up anyway, determined to face

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<v Speaker 1>off against the other guy at Queensland, the named Ken

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<v Speaker 1>Marshall and take his place in the national team. Officials

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<v Speaker 1>didn't like it, but when Madigan thrashed Marshall in a

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<v Speaker 1>box off, they didn't have much choice but to send

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<v Speaker 1>him to Rome. He arrived in Italy ready to face

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<v Speaker 1>almost anyone. Almost. Madigan and Clay had met before, only

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<v Speaker 1>eighteen months earlier, at the Intercity Golden Gloves Light Heavyweight

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<v Speaker 1>Championships in Chicago. Clay had won twice, both times on

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<v Speaker 1>the judges' cards. This time a spot in the gold

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<v Speaker 1>medal bout was on the line. Madigan was twelve years older,

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<v Speaker 1>but Clay already had one hundred victories under his ball.

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<v Speaker 1>After five tough rounds of fighting, it came down to points.

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<v Speaker 1>The judges scored at seventy sixty seven and Clay won unanimously.

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<v Speaker 1>The Sydney sports journal Ernie Christensen wrote that Tony had

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<v Speaker 1>been robbed. In fact, heaps of people thought Madigan should

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<v Speaker 1>have gone through to the final bout. According to legend

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<v Speaker 1>and onlookers, the crowd booed for so long that they

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<v Speaker 1>delayed the next fight for several minutes. Although if you've

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<v Speaker 1>ever seen Ossy's in a sporting crowd, you know they'll

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<v Speaker 1>boo pretty much anything, so who can say. Clay went

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<v Speaker 1>on to win the gold in nineteen sixty four. He

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<v Speaker 1>went pro, defending his heavyweight World Championship title nineteen times.

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<v Speaker 1>Rome was his only Olympic medal. According to Tony's friend

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<v Speaker 1>Anthony abrahams Cassius had once said, you won the fight,

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<v Speaker 1>but I got the medal. Total hearsay, but maybe a

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<v Speaker 1>reflection of how beloved Tony was and how much Australia

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<v Speaker 1>wanted him to win. Decades after the fight in Rome,

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<v Speaker 1>Tony was in Atlantic City. It was nineteen eighty eight

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<v Speaker 1>and the famous once and for all about between Mike

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<v Speaker 1>Tyson and Michael Spinx was about to get underway. Tony's

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<v Speaker 1>long ago opponent had become one of the greatest boxers

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<v Speaker 1>of all time, unbelievably famous, a living legend. Abraham says

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<v Speaker 1>there was a commotion at the door as the man

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<v Speaker 1>now known as Muhammad Ali entered, surrounded by fans. The

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<v Speaker 1>icon looked up, embraced his form of and said, Tony Madigan,

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<v Speaker 1>we're both getting old. On his return from Rome, Tony

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<v Speaker 1>Madigan made another attempt at a showbiz career and appeared

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<v Speaker 1>in a single episode of Whiplash and Australian Western set

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<v Speaker 1>in the nineteenth century outback, not a genre we've really

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<v Speaker 1>seen again. Surprisingly, it didn't blow the socks off any

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<v Speaker 1>reviewers and it wasn't Tony Madigan's big acting break. Madigan's

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<v Speaker 1>focus shifted. Eventually he settled into a quieter life in

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<v Speaker 1>the South of France, where he indulged his love of

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<v Speaker 1>sailing and so not. Having managed to make his name

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<v Speaker 1>as a Hollywood hunk, Madigan entered the record books as

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<v Speaker 1>a boxer. He fought everywhere from London to New Zealand.

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<v Speaker 1>In two thousand he was awarded the Australian Sports Medal,

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<v Speaker 1>and in twenty ten he was inducted into the Australian

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<v Speaker 1>National Boxing Hall of Fame. He's not our best performing amateur,

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<v Speaker 1>but Tony Madigan is still remembered as one of our greatest.

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<v Speaker 1>No Australian boxer has more Olympic appearances than him, and

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<v Speaker 1>his bronze medal is one of only six we've ever

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<v Speaker 1>won for Olympic boxing. But of course, most memorably, in

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<v Speaker 1>his whole career, only two men ever beat him more

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<v Speaker 1>than once. Australian Frek Casey was one and the other

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<v Speaker 1>was Muhammad Ali. Thanks for hanging out in the pool room.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm Tony Armstrong and this has been an iHeart production.

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<v Speaker 1>I'll speak to you next time for another brilliant sports story.

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<v Speaker 1>See ya.